Improvement in billiard-game registers



HOLMES & ROOME.

Billiard Register.

Patenied maken 9,A i869.

N. PErERs, Phawuihogmphr. wmngm, DA c.

UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. HOLMES AND H. C. ROOME, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BILLlARD-GAME REGISTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. $7,674, dated March 9, 1869.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that we, E. HOLMES and H. O. ROOME, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usef'ul Billiard-Game Register; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication.

The object of this invention is to provide for the accurate registration of the number of games played upon a billiard-table.

The invention consists in an electro-magnetic register` located at any desirable distance from the billiard-table, and operated by a galvanic battery the circuit of which is opened and closed by the movement of va button or its equivalent alon-g the string on which the progress of games is marked.

Figure 1 represents a rear-elevation view oi' our billiard-game register with back casin g removed, illustrating the interior works thereof'. Figs. 2 and 3 represent longitudinal sections of the string or wire upon which the buttons or counters are carried, illustrating two of the many different ways ot' opening and closing the electric circuit thereon.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A is the register, composed of a magnet a., armature b, lever c, reciprocating pawl d, and ratchet e. The lever c is provided with an upward extension or arm, f, but may be constructed of other desirable formations for carrying the pawl d, which is connected by a pivot to the said extension f, and is provided with a drawing-tooth or hooked projection, g, which upon motion of the lever c, engages with the teeth of the ratchet e, secured upon an indexoperating arbor, i, and which communicates motion to the index h, which revolvesy around a suitable dial. (Illustrated upon the opposite side of the register, as indicated by dotted lines at Fig. l.)

p is a pawl with its point engaging with the teeth of the ratchet c to prevent backward rotation of the same, andto prevent it from being moved forward more than one tooth at a time by the pawl d.

B, Fig. 2, is the string or button-wire of a marking apparatus, such as is commonly used for marking the game ot' billiards. This may be composed oi' small metal tubing or hollow wire, or it may be composed of the ordinary solid wire commonly used for the purpose by having inserted at somesnitablelocality therein a section of tubing or hollow wire of sutilcient vlength for carrying out the invention. The extremities of this string B are connected with the poles of a battery, but for the pur1 pose of interrupting the current from the battery, and forming whatis known as a circuitbreaker, the string is separated transversely at a suitable point in its length, and a short section, m, of gutta-percha or other suitable non-conducting material is inserted. Upon this string or button-wire B, and suitably located amongthe numerous buttons or counters commonly employed, is a button or counter, C, composed of a metallic or other suitable conducting material; or it may be composed of the same material as the other buttons or counters, but having a metallic or conductinglining, so that when it is made to slide over the circuit-breaker m it overlaps the same and establishes a metallic connection between the separated ends of the metal tube or wire and closes the circuit, thereby causing the charging of the magnet a, which registers the game by its attraction ofthe armature b, and consequent action ot' the pawl d. upon the ratchetwheel e, which moves the indext upon the dial.

Adilerent manner ot' eli'ecting the insulated joint is illustrated at Fig. 3. B is the tube or section of tube, O, metallic-lined button or counter, and m the non-conducting material or insulated joint.

Instead of separating the tube B, as in Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of suitable length is removed, and one ofthe wires of the battery is secured to the inner surface of said section, and, being properly insulated, is inserted through the opening in the tube caused by the removal ot the said section, and is causedl to pass through the cavity of the tube and out at one of its extremities, finally connecting with the battery. The said removed section is then adjusted to the place within the tube from whence it was removed, but insulated from the main 2 A einem lar construction of the circuit-breaker in the.

string, as it is obvious that this may be considerably varied Without changing the character of the invention; but

What we claim as ourinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A register for games of billiards, consisting of an index capable of being actuated by an electro-magnet, with whose poles the string of the marking apparatus is connecte-15a circuitbreaker in the said string, and a button or its equivalent, which, by its passage along the string and over the circuit-breaker, completes the circuit through the string and magnet, the Whole operating'snbstantially as herein speciiied. v

E. HOLMES. H. C. ROOME.

Witnesses S. M. OsTRANDER, G. W. BUCHANAN. 

